Unions

On Friday, Wisconsin became the 25th state to pass a right-to-work bill. Lawmakers in the state assembly fiercely debated the bill for more than 20 hours into the early morning. The bill finally passed around 9 a.m.

Wisconsin lawmakers voted Friday to make their state the 25th to enact right-to-work legislation, pushing a fast-tracked bill through the Assembly after an overnight debate and sending it on to Gov. Scott Walker for his promised signature.

A Minnesota Republican lawmaker is getting in the middle of Wisconsin’s “right-to-work” debate. Republican Gov. Scott Walker says he’ll sign the bill when it reaches his desk, which would make union membership voluntary.

The fight over union rights returns to Wisconsin this week, four years after a debate that sparked massive protests and catapulted Gov. Scott Walker onto the national political stage, setting up his likely presidential run.

A Minneapolis man is fighting to get his job back Wednesday. Kip Hedges says Delta fired him for trying to unionize airline employees. Hedges says his comments about the need to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and the right to unionize, cost him his job of 26 years.

Fast food workers and union supporters briefly took over a Minneapolis McDonald’s restaurant Thursday. It was part of a nationwide protest in 150 cities by fast food workers demanding a $15-an-hour minimum wage.

The Labor movement has had to reinvent itself since its beginnings in this country. John Budd is a University of Minnesota professor who researches and teaches about diverse aspects of work, employment, and related institutions.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the 2011 law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers, sparked massive protests and led to Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s recall election and rise to national prominence.

Heading into the Labor Day weekend, a growing labor movement is gaining traction across the United States. It’s a union-backed effort known as “Fight for 15” and it involves fast food employees who believe they should make $15 an hour.

Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration has responded to a federal lawsuit seeking to block unionization of certain in-home day providers with a court filing saying opponents lack standing to sue. New filings came Monday in one of two federal cases aiming to undo a new law paving the way for a union election. The administration wants both lawsuits dismissed and will argue for that in a July 18 court hearing.

The Minnesota Senate approved a Democratic-sponsored bill Wednesday to let unions try to organize daycare providers and personal care workers, after a 17-hour debate that stretched through the night thanks to forceful opposition from Republicans.

After all the hype regarding Walmart employees’ discontent with their employer and the threat of a strike on Black Friday, the long holiday weekend was saw banner sales and virtually no protest at Walmarts.

James P. Hoffa and Dick DeVos have vastly differing views of unions, which is why in this heated political climate battles are raging across America over unions in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, California and other states, the two took time to participate in CBS Local Digital Debate.